One of the primary ways of approaching the Greek theatre is through archeology, the systematic study of material remains such as architecture, inscriptions, sculpture, vase painting, and other forms of decorative art. Serious on-site excavations began in Greece around 1870, but W. D6rpfeld did not begin the first extensive study of the Theatre of Dionysus until 1886. Since that time, more than 167 other Greek theatres have been identified and many of them have been excavated. Nevertheless, they still do not permit us to describe the precise appearance of the skene (illustrations printed in books are conjectural reconstructions), since many pieces are irrevocably lost because the buildings in later periods became sources of stone for other projects and what remains is usually broken and scattered.

单选题 According to paragraph 1, why is it impossible to identify the time period for theatres in Greece? ______
A. There are too few sites that have been excavated and very little data collected about them.
B. The archeologists from earlier periods were not careful, and many artifacts were broken.
C. It is confusing because stones from early sites were used to build later structures.
D. Because it is very difficult to date the concrete that was used in construction during early periods.

单选题 What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the skene in theatre history? ______
A. Drawings in books are the only accurate visual records.
B. Not enough evidence is available to make a precise model.
C. Archaeologists have excavated a large number of them.
D. It was not identified or studied until the early 1800s.

单选题 The word "primary" in the passage is closest in meaning to ______.
A. reliable B. important C. unusual D. accepted

单选题 The word "precise" in the passage is closest in meaning to ______.
A. attractive B. simple C. difficult D. exact

单选题 In paragraph 2, the author explains that all vases with paintings of masks or musicians may not be evidence of theatrical subjects by ______.
A. arguing that the subjects could have been used by artists without reference to a drama
B. identifying some of the vases as reproductions that were painted years after the originals
C. casting doubt on the qualifications of the scholars who produced the vases as evidence
D. pointing out that there are very few vases that have survived from the time of early dramas

单选题 The word "controversial" in the passage is closest in meaning to ______.
A. accepted B. debated C. limited D. complicated

单选题 In paragraph 3, the author states that female characters in Greek theatre ______.
A. had no featured parts in plays
B. were mostly ignored by critics
C. did not participate in the chorus
D. frequently played the part of victims

单选题 According to paragraph 3, scripts of plays may not be accurate because ______.
A. the sources cited are not well known
B. copies by hand may contain many errors
C. they are written in very old language
D. the printing is difficult to read

单选题 The word "them" in the passage refers to ______.
A. events B. sources C. writers D. references

单选题 Why does the author mention a jigsaw puzzle in paragraph 4? ______
A. To demonstrate the difficulty in drawing conclusions from partial evidence.
B. To compare the written references for plays to the paintings on vases.
C. To justify using accounts and records that historians have located.
D. To introduce the topic for the next reading passage in the textbook.

单选题 Which of the following statements most accurately reflects the author's opinion about vase paintings? ______
A. Evidence from written documents is older than evidence from vase paintings.
B. The sources for vase paintings are clear because of the images on them.
C. The details in vase paintings are not obvious because of their age.
D. There is disagreement among scholars regarding vase paintings.

单选题 Look at the four squares, , , and

填空题 Directions: An introduction for a short summary of the passage appears below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that mention the most important points in the passage, Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not included in the passage or are minor points from the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Greek theatre has been studied by a variety of methods.
·______
·______
·______

A. Because the Greeks enjoyed dancing and music for entertainment outside of the theatre, many scenes on vases are ambiguous.
B. Historical accounts assembled many years after the actual theatrical works were presented give us a broad perspective of the earlier theatre.
C. Although considered less reliable, written records, including scripts, provide insights into the cultural aspects of theatre.
D. Archaeological excavations have uncovered buildings and artifacts, many of which were vases with theatrical scenes painted on them.
E. For the most part, men wrote the plays for Greek theatre, but choruses and even strong roles were played by women.

F. Computer simulations can recreate the image of a building that is crumbling as long as the dimensions and layout are known.